Nail side trimming devices



1957 w. E. sTELE NAIL SIDE TRIMMING DEVICES Filed Feb. 8. 1954 INVENTOR. W/LL/AM 5. 575a;

BY W and 2/ W United States Patent NAIL SIDE TRIMMING DEVICES William E. Steele, Seattle, Wash.

Application February 8, 1954, Serial No. 408,658

7 Claims. (Cl. 132--75.4)

This invention pertains to a device for trimming the sides of nails of a person and particularly the sides of toenails. The device is especially adapted to trim the sides of nails as distinguished from the ends of such nails which latter edges may be trimmed reasonably easily 'with scissors, clippers, or a knife.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide a trimming device for nail edges which may be ingrown. Such nail portions are extremely diflicult and awkward to trim with scissors or clippers at times, particularly because of the difficulty of inserting a thick blade between the ingrown edge of the nail and the flesh of the toe or finger beneath it.

A more specific object is to provide a nail trimming device for the purpose mentioned which has an abrading surface or a scraping edge adapted to be inserted between the side of a nail and the flesh beneath it, and which can file or trim such a nail readily.

A further object is for such a device to be used easily by a person in trimming his own nails without having any professional skill and without danger of injuring himself.

Such a trimming device is small, simple, easy to manufacture, and economical, while being etfective in use.

Advantages of the particular form of device illustrated in the drawings will be discussed in the following detailed description of it.

In general the nail side trimming device incorporates a handle carrying a small channel-shaped or troughshaped blade having opposite low edge flanges diverging toward the handle and having knurled surfaces or sharpened edges. Preferably, such flanges include short thinedged projections at locations remote from the blade end, and these may be disposed at the ends of the flanges re mote from the blade end. The handle carrying the blade may be of any suitable type, for example a flat metal strip. Such strip may constitute a nail file of conventional type.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the trimming device blade and of the adjacent portion of the handle, and Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a top perspective view of the trimming device blade and of the adjacent portion of the handle.

Figure 4 is a top perspective view of the complete trimming device in a typical position of use.

Figure 5 is an edge view of the trimming device blade and the adjacent portion of the handle, showing a somewhat modified form of device.

The blade 1 is of trough-shaped or channel-shaped cross section having upturned edge flanges 2. This blade projects from one end of a handle 3, which may be a fiat strip constituting a nail file of conventional type. The substantially planar edge flanges 2 are bent or slope upward from the flat blade web between them, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, and these flanges are shown as being convergent toward the end of the blade 1 and away from the handle 3. The handle is necked in adjacent to the blade so that width of the handle portion joined to the blade does not exceed the width of the flat trough bottom web. The full width of both flanges will therefore project beyond the sides of the adjoining handle portion.

In the drawing the trimming device is shown considerably enlarged, for the width of the blade may taper from approximately five-sixteenths or three-eighths of an inch wide at its wider end, to about three-sixteenths of an inch at its narrower end, and its length may be fiveeighths or three-quarters of an inch, although the blade may be larger but of similar proportions. The upturned flanges 2 are quite low, being about one-sixteenth of an inch high, and their smaller angle relative to the blade web may be to The inner surfaces of flanges 2 are knurled or ribbed, preferably at angles inclined inward toward the blade end, to form abrading or scraping projections or ridges 4 similar to the surface of a file. The flange edges 4' are sharpened by grinding their outer surfaces on a bevel without the need of removing any material from their inner surfaces. The result of knurling: or ribbing the inner surfaces of each flange to its sharp edge is to pr0- duce small teeth or serrations along such edge, as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3. The height of such teeth is almost negligible, however, when considering the actual height of the upturned flanges 2 themselves. i

As an alternative, the edge itself may be used as a scraping edge without providing knurling or ribs on the inner surfaces of the flanges, and Figure 5 shows a form having flanges devoid of ribs or abrading projections.

At a location remote from the blade end, and preferably at or near the end of each flange adjacent to the handle 3 is a rounded, sharpened or thinned projection 5 which projects upward perhaps a thirty-second of an inch or slightly more above the sharpened edge 4' proper of each flange. This projection constitutes an inserting or prying element particularly helpful for working beneath the edge of toenails deeply ingrown.

In the use of the trimming device, as illustrated in Figure 4, one or the other of the upturned edges 2, and preferably the projection 5 of such an edge, is inserted beneath a side of a nail, depending upon which side of the nail is to be trimmed. In such operation the rounded back of the junction between the flange and blade web serves as a fulcrum bearing on the flesh alongside the nail about which the blade is tilted or rolled as the projection is inserted beneath the nail edge. While it is not essential that the flanges 2 converge, it is preferred that each be at a slight angle to the longitudinal axis of the blade so that the tool handle may be held approximately parallel to the toe, for example, as the end of a flange is inserted behind the inwardly turned side of the nail.

When the trimming device has been drawn forward from the position of Figure 4 to run the sharpened edge 4' of the flange beneath the nail, the serrations or ribs on the inner face of the flange will abrade the nails ingrown edge as forward movement of the device is continued. Thereafter the blade may be moved rearward and drawn forward again repeatedly in short reciprocating strokes with the edge 4 beneath the nail until the edge of its inturned side has been abraded sufliciently'.

I claim as may invention:

1. A nail side trimming device comprising a handle, and a blade carried by and projecting longitudinally from said handle and including a flat web portion and a side flange sloping gently upward from said web portion, having a sharpened upper edge and including a sharpened projection disposed at the end of such edge adjacent to said handle and projecting upward a substantial distance above the general level of said flanges sharpened edge.

2. A nail side trimming device comprising a handle and a trough-shaped blade carried by and projecting longit'udinally from such'handle, said blade being formed a by a web portion and flat side flanges having knurled inner faces and sharpened projections projecting upward a substantial distance above the general level of the edges of said flanges.

. 3'. A nail side trimming device comprising a handle and a trough-shaped blade carried by and projecting longitudinally from such handle, said blade being formed by a web portion and flat side flanges having knurled inner faces and sharpened upper edges and sharpened projections disposed one at the end of each of said edges adjacent to said handle and projecting upward a substantial distance above the general level of said flanges sharpened edges.

-4. A nail side trimming device comprising a handle, and a trough-shaped blade carried by and projecting longitudinally from such handle, said blade being formed by a Web portion and fiat side flanges turned upward from said web portion, converging away from said handle and having sharpened projections projecting upward a substantial distance above the general level of the edges of said flanges.

5. A nail side trimming device comprising a handle, and ,a trough-shaped blade carried by and projecting 1ongitudinally from such handle, said blade being formed by a web portion and fiat side flanges sloping gently upward from said web portion, converging away from said handle and having knurled inner faces and sharpened projections disposed one at the end of each of said edges adjacent to said handle and projecting upward a substantial distance above the general level of the edges of said flanges.

6. A nail side trimming device comprising a handle, and a trough-shaped blade carried by and projecting longitudinally from such handle, said blade being formed by a web portion and flat side flanges sloping gently upward from said web portion, converging away from said handle and having knurledinner faces and slightly serrated sharpened edges including sharpened projections disposed one at the end of each of said edges adjacent to said handle and projecting upward a substantial distance above the general level of said flanges sharpened edges.

7. A nail side trimming device comprising a handle, and a blade carried by and projecting longitudinally from said handle and including a web portion and a flange turned upward from said web portion, said flange having a nail-scraping upper edge portion and a projection disposed adjacent to said nail-scraping upper edge portion and having a thinned upper-edge projecting upward a substantial distance above the general edge level of said flanges nail-scraping upper edge portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 54,446 Utley May 1, 1866 403,003 Tener May 7, 1889 756,818 Benton Apr. 12, 1904 767,647 Knight Aug. 16, 1904 979,398 Dow Dec. 20, 1910 1,045,252 Brossia Nov. 26, 1912 1,231,913 Kosin July 3, 1917 1,911,974 Shelton May 30, 1933 2,075,310 Sprague Mar. 30, 1937 2,274,188 Campbell Feb. 24, 1942 2,479,514 Rucker Aug. 16, 1949 2,693,028 Stoddard Nov. 2, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 12,217 Great Britain June 5, 1908 

